India’s nominee Dalveer Bhandari re-elected to ICJ
November 21 , 2017 2588 days 3500 0
India’s nominee to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Dalveer Bhandari was re-elected to the fifth and the last seat of the world court which totally consist 15 seats but where election only held for 5 seats.
Elections were held simultaneously and separately in UNGA and UNSC at the UN headquarters in New York.
As per ICJ Rules a candidate can be selected only when they get an absolute majority in both the General Assembly (97 votes) and Security Council (8 votes).
By this way Indias Talveer Bhandari secured 183 votes out of 193 which is more than absolute majority.But in UNSC his rival Britans Christopher Greenwood secured 9 votes. So there is a huge competition between them for that palce.
But at last minute, Bandari was re-elected which is the second time for him after his neck-and-neck opposite English candidate Christopher Greenwood withdrew by Britain in that election.
So, UK will not have a judge on the bench of the ICJ for the first time in the ICJ’s 71-year history.
It is notable that he is a recipient of Padma Bhusan Award in 2014.
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
It is the primary judicial branch of the United Nations (UN), seated in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands.
The court settles legal disputes submitted to it by states and provides advisory opinions on legal questions submitted to it by duly authorized international branches, agencies, and the UN General Assembly.
The ICJ is composed of fifteen judges elected to nine-year terms by the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council from a list of people nominated by the national groups in the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Five judges are elected every three years to ensure continuity within the court.
No two judges may be nationals of the same country.
The P5 members of the UNSC (France, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, and the United States) always have a judge on the Court.
The exception was China, which did not have a judge on the Court from 1967 to 1985 because it did not put forward a candidate.
Judges may deliver joint judgments or give their own separate opinions.
Decisions and Advisory Opinions are by majority, and, in the event of an equal division, the President's vote becomes decisive.